Welcome to Your Practice Wiki!


This is a practice wiki that I set up for you to practice playing with before you set up your own, and in addition, we can use this wiki to list the valuable resources that you each are finding as you search the web and licensed periodical databases for articles every week.

I ask everyone currently registered in SPE542 to visit this wiki and add in a link to one web site, or add a citation to a great article.

Great Articles (include author, journal name, article title, publication information, and a very brief description of what makes the article great)


Maribel Kane-I found an article about a teacher who decided to introduce her elementary class to creating a Wiki and her experience in the process. In the article she discusses guidelines on developing the Wiki.
Wee Wikis: Implementing the Use of Wikis with Elementary Students by Kendra Molen, Library Media Connection,p 57-58,Jan/Feb 2009, 2 pp.

I also found another great article that I thought, I'd share that discusses technology within the classroom and it’s slow progression. The longer schools wait to use technology in the classroom the further behind students will become compared to their global peers. It discusses how any school can become technologically savvy by doing research, being creative and through professional development. I especially liked where it stated that, “Technology in and of itself will not create more engaged students or better students. However, well-chosen technology resources infused into classroom instruction can create more engaged and better students.

Web 2.0:
The Effect of Web 2.0 on Teaching and Learning, Byrne, Richard,Teacher Librarian
v37 n2 p50, 52-53 Dec 2009. 3 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)ISSN: 1481-1782

Jen Lamoureux- I found this great article about using wikis in the classroom. The article lists several very creative ways to use wikis with your students in many different subject areas. I never know how incredibly useful wikis could be or how diverse! The only thing I think of when I hear wiki is Wikipedia! I have learned my lesson. The are can be found at EBSCO here is the reference for it:
Hudson, H. (2009). How to Teach With Wikis. Instructor, 119(2), 66-67. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Melissa Cordeira - I found an article titled - 5 Strategies for Including Wikis in The Classroom. This article focuses on the benifits of using wikis to increase student collaboration, negotion, student resources, classroom webpages, and classroom filing cabinets.
http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/5_strategies_for_using_wikis_in_the_classroom
Joe Zuzel - The article I found was entitled "Wee Wikis: Implementing the Use of Wikis with Elementary Students". I goes over the basic do's and don't's and explains how Wiki's can be useful and how to make them more useful in an elementary setting.
Molen, K. (2009). Wee Wikis: Implementing the Use of Wikis with Elementary Students. Library Media Connection, 27(4), 57-58. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Brittany Marinelli - I know that this is not exactly an article, but in my search I found a great text that you can read on line. For someone like myself who was, and still sort of is, lost by all of this technology and how to use it, it is a great guide for all of your questions. Not to mention, because all of this technology is not leaving, and if anything will only continue to get more complex and detailed, it is only $20 and it is something that you will be able to use and access at your finger tips while creating great lessons. "Topics include blogging as a natural tool for writing instruction, wikis and their role in project collaboration, podcasting as a useful means of presenting information and ideas, and how to use Web 2.0 tools for professional development." It sounded like everything that we are learning about in this class, I mentioned I was going to order it, and instead of procrastinating, I just placed my order!

(http://books.google.com/books?id=ZKKQMLir_mMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=what+is+web+2.0&source=bll&ots=OjH6dMOMEM&sig=Ei_jKMbZv_p7Lv9B5OyEKyVIiG8&hl=en&ei=QAjaS8V1kfb1BJj18EU&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=16&ved=0CE8Q6AEwDw#v=onepage&q&f=false
Chris Mastrogiacomo- I found an article on scholar-Google called "Using Wikis in Schools: A Case Study". Although it's 11 pages, the beginning has the most info (the rest is her case study). It is interesting how much detail the author goes into about wikis. She explains the social aspect, how new it is within education, how wikis work, learning communities, and more. Here is the citation:
Grant, Lindsey. 2006. Using Wikis in Schools: A Case Study. Futurelab. http://rhazen.edublogs.org/files/2008/01/wikis_in_schools_futurelab.pdf

Tim Owens-I found an article called "Maing Connections with Blogs and Wikis" by Doug Achterma. http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.baypath.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=6&sid=d45e8e8c-e8c8-4ffd-bed9-809b54ac4b94%40sessionmgr14 Basically this article talks in length about blogs and wikis and how they can be used in the classroom. Great if you are still hesitant to use either on of these tools in your room, because your not sure you can use them.

  1. Lori Davis - I found the following article this week on the use of wikis in the classroom, Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom by S. Pixy Ferris and Hilary Wilder http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/AcademicStudentAffairs/CentreforEducationalDevelopment/e-Learning/E-LearningFileStore/Filetoupload,134940,en.pdf
This article made the very valid claim that while today’s students are digital natives, most of today’s teachers remain digital immigrants. When seeking to understand why education has not moved faster toward embracing all the benefits of the digital age, the authors compare learning paradigms of the past and how they have shifted over time to embrace new technologies (as in how the printing press changed us from an oral model to a literacy based model). The authors claim that we have been stuck too long in a ‘print model’ which could only be enhanced by embracing what they refer to as the ‘secondary orality’ available through today’s digital technology. They argue that by embracing the advantages of this secondary orality mode, which include higher engagement with text and learners taking ownership for their own knowledge, we could greatly advance what we do.
As a digital immigrant myself, I was happy to see that this article referred to some of the drawbacks of the use of wikis and collaborative media, including the challenge of the low barrier of entry and the idea of an unmonitored open environment. The authors argue, however, that we have watched as Wikipedia has gone through these challenges and should see this as any new technologies growing pains. We can’t go back in time at this point so instead of seeking to vilify this new media, why not use this as an opportunity to teach our students how to be good consumers of information and how to discriminate for themselves on good and bad information. I found this article very useful as I try to wrap my head around what is really a new idea for me, as well. Citation:
Wilder, Hilary & S. Pixy Ferris. (2006). www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=258. Retrieved April 25, 2010, from Google Scholar: http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/AcademicStudentAffairs/CentreforEducationalDevelopment/e-Learning/E-LearningFileStore/Filetoupload,134940,en.pdf

Gail Bouknight-Davis -
The article below discusses the different kinds of wikis for use with classroom writing in the elementary grades. It looks at similarities between wikis and blogs as well as the different kinds of wikis for elementary school students. The article provides tips for teachers on how to set up wikis. What is interesting about this article is that it discusses how using wikis for writing can be helpful. Writing is so important and for many students the writing process is not clear. For this teacher a classroom wiki fostered collaboration with students, and made the writing process more visible to both students and teachers.
After reading it, it further convinced me of how useful wikis can be. Think of the possibilities…
A Wiki for **//Classroom//** Writing.
Full Text Available By: Morgan, Brian; Smith, Richard D.. Reading Teacher, Sep2008, Vol. 62 Issue 1, p80-82, 3p, 1 Black and White Photograph, 1 Chart; From database: Academic Search Premier.

Monique Butler- There were so many great articles that focused on both Web 2.0 and Wikis in the classroom. The article I found to be the most interesting titled "Wee Wikis: Implementing the Use of Wikis with Elementary Students," was written by a media specialist Kendra Molen. Ms. Molen discusses the challenges and benefits of using wikis with her students. As educators we want to expand learners knowledge about technology so that they will be able to be developmentally prepared for society. It is our job to get proper training before introducing wikis to our learners. Creating a curriculum is a process that can aid in learners knowledge on the different tools we have available. We want our learners to take ownership and in order to do so we must first focus on expectations, organization, model and monitor students' progress, have adequate time to use wikis inside the classroom as well as at home, and be less restrictive to increase motivation and creativity.

http://web.ebscohost.com.libprhttp://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.baypath.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=14&sid=b3589ef6-8b67-417f-b018-5215586a0bc3%40sessionmgr12

Full text is availale on EBSCOhost:
Molen, Kendra,Jan/Feb2009, Vol. 27 Issue 4, p57-58, 2p


Stacy Chausse - I found an article that was really informative, http://www.edutopia.org/using-wikipedia-classroom (Using Wikipedia in the Classroom: A Good Starting Point). I found this article very interesting and informative, one thing that definitely caught my eye was the sentence "It's what all of us skilled educators are all about", there you go, I am slowly coming out of my technology shell and figured this one of the reasons I didn't know about wiki. This form of education can become very useful as it was noted, this can be used to help students with their science fair projects, collaborative textbooks, student profiles, to name a few. Of course this is not the only means in which a student should use all of their information from, however as the article quoted it is a good starting point.

Joan Bockus - The article, Make Way for Wikis, presents several examples of how wikis can be used as an effective tool in the classroom. Some of the ideas were setting up wikis for collaborative writing, group research on world events, developing writing and social skills, and verifying the validity of sources. The article discusses both the positive outcomes and some of the concerns associated with using wikis. The importance of teacher training was also addressed.

Oatman, Eric, Make Way for Wikis, School Library Journal, v 51. n 11. p.52-54, Nov. 2005.3pp. Retrieved from Eric Database Aug. 24, 2010.
http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.baypath.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=107&sid=dd4daf4f-d724-4051-a2cb-cdb32d7c2b65%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ786332



Great Web Sites (include URL, site author, site name, and a very brief description of what makes the site great)

  1. WIkis in Plain English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI
  2. Tim Owens- I found this website on wikis that offers several places to create a wikis for free. Most of them are actually free from what I can see (although most have some option they try and convince you of to get money) The website is http://www.surfnetkids.com/how_to_create_a_wiki.htm
  3. Lori Davis -
­­­­­­The website I found related to using wikis in schools was full of interesting ideas—some more relevant to my own work than others but it did get me to think about the myriad ways that this technology could be expanded upon. I especially liked that it offered ideas across different curriculum areas and different age groups. I am anxious to try out the group wiki project this week and see how it feels in practice.
http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikiideas1.cfm
4. Joe Zuzel - Here is the link to the website I mentioned in my discussion. http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html
5. Jackie Norton- I found a wiki that I thought was very creative in applying wikis to younger classrooms, using only what is readily available in any classroom. They are still missing a few pictures if anyone wants to add to it. Its called the Kindergarten Counting Book- its very cute!
http://kcountingbook.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
6. Monique Butler- Here is a website that has several links discussing wikis. You will find useful resoures along with tips on how to implement wikis in any classroom. http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001969.shtml

7. Ariana LeBlanc - The following wiki was very helpful and can certainly be used in a

classroom. http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/5_strategies_for_using_wikis_in_the_classroom . I feel that the website article Five Strategies for Using Wiki’s in the Classroom by David R. Wetzel was a great website because it gave a brief description of five great ways in which a wiki can be beneficial to use in a classroom setting. The five ways that Wetzel said a wiki can be used in a classroom setting are the following: collaborative team-based learning, students demonstration on knowledge, classroom resources, classroom webpage, or it can be used as

a classroom filing cabinet.


8. Serena Choquet - The website that I find to be most useful for this class is http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com.
I have not only used this site for the Wikis search but I also used it for the Web 2.0 search as well as when we were talking about Microsoaft Office. I fell it give useful iinformation for not only continuing teachers but for those who are just starting out.

9. Sarah Hatfield- The website I found and many already know about is http://www.schoolspring.com.
What many people probably don't know is that School Spring has their own blog. They recently posted in reference to an article to: A Is for App: How Smartphones, Handheld Computers Sparked an Educational Revolution. While I did not read the whole article, it doe bring up some interesting points about how technology can be used to foster creativity. The School Spring blog is a great resource for education job seekers and education professionals. ​

10..Meghan Donnelly - I was searching around for another Web site on Wikis when I found this site,
http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/The Title of the page is 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom. Not only are 50 different ways to use a Wiki page listed, but each of the 50 ideas has a link to a separate page with more information on how to accomplish it. The Site author is not listed anywhere on the page. I still think that this Web Site has a ton of great ideas on ways to use a Wiki. The ideas I liked the most were a recipe book, using wikis for classroom debates, and solving math problems as a group.

Summer 2010 Class:
11. Amy Dennis: The following website that I found about use of Wikis in the classroom is, 5 Strategies for Using Wikis in the Classroom. I noticed that it was already mentioned above, but found it important none the less. Another site that I found was actually a Wiki site and can be found by clicking this link, Wiki in the K-12 Classroom. Enjoy!

12. Robin Clayton Here is a great website that I found. www.cast.org I loved this website because it is a special education website for assistive technology. It is very easy to follow and you can get on links to sample products you might want to use with your special education students. Some are even great for general education. Enjoy!

13. Cara Davis-Here is a wiki I found that describes different ways to use a wiki in the classroom. I liked the ideas listed because they show you can apply use of a wiki to many different aspects in your classroom.
http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Wiki_in_a_K-12_classroom

14.Marian Nihan
TeachersFirst is a rich collection of lessons, units, and web resources designed to save teachers time by delivering just what they need in a practical, user-friendly, and ad-free format. We offer our own professional and classroom-ready content along with thousands of reviewed web resources, including practical ideas for classroom use and safe classroom use of Web 2.0.
I have to agree with TeachersFirst description from their home page. Easy to navigate and extremly practical for busy teachers!

http://www.teachersfirst.com/


15. Marian Nihan - Here's a great article by William Ferriter, a 6th grade teacher from North Carolina.
Ferriter, W. (2010). How Flat Is Your Classroom?. Educational Leadership, 67(7), 86-87. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database

Ferriter offers practical guidance for beginning a collaborative project with your class and others. He includes a list of digital clearinghouses that are designed to pair students from around the world. Says Ferriter "If you're interested in starting a global cooperation project, chances are good that there's a like-minded teacher in another country who'd be eager to collaborate."

16. Nicole Paris Kro: I found three great websites for educators and especially special education educators.

Website:Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators

Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators is a categorized list of sites useful for enhancing curriculum and professional growth. It is updated often to include the best sites for teaching and learning.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/edles.html

Website: Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/

Website:National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)is a national membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to those preparing for or teaching in the field of special education. NASET was founded to promote the profession of special education teachers and to provide a national forum for their ideas.


http://www.naset.org/

17. Laura Sarno: I found several great websites and articles related to Wikis and Web 2.0. They include How to Teach with Wikis by Hannah Hudson which I found via the Hatch Library's Academic Search Premier database, David Wetzel's 5 Strategies for Using Wikis in the Classroom http://www.suite101.com/content/5-strategies-for-using-wikis-in-the-classroom-a124331, a Web 2.0 Tutorial http://web2tutorial.wikispaces.com/, and a scholastic article called Web 2.0, Beyond Google http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753598&FullBreadCrumb=%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.scholastic.com%2Fbrowse%2Fsearch%2F%3FNtx%3Dmode%2Bmatchallpartial%26_N%3Dfff%26Ntk%3DSCHL30_SI%26query%3DWeb%2B2.0%26N%3D0%26Ntt%3DWeb%2B2.0%22+class%3D%22endecaAll%22%3EAll+Results%3C%2Fa%3E

18. Jamie Ferguson: I found the website, http://teaching-with-technology.wikispaces.com/Wikis+in+Education, that really is a blog but has a lot of good resources for using wikis in the classroom. It also has many links to examples of wikis. http://elementarywikis.pbworks.com/Examples-of-Elementary-Wikis also is a quick way to look at many examples of wikis and the different ways they are being used in classrooms.

19. Norma Marchesani:
From my database search, I found Turning Lemons Into Lemonade: Teaching Assistive Technology Through Wikis and Embedded Video. This article describes a "virtual field experience" that was set up for pre-service teachers to be able to reflect on various technology available to special needs students in grades K-12 with the added bonus of being able to share those reflections with classmates. The wiki described in the article gave the pre-service teachers an opportunity to post YouTube and TeacherTube videos of special needs students using assistive technology that met the student's needs. Demonstrating that learning occurs when students of all ages have the opportunity to participate in a community, these pre-service teachers gained more knowledge about AT from the wiki than hands-on practice in the AT lab.
Dreon, O. Jr., Dietrich, N. (2009) Turning Lemons Into Lemonade: Teaching Assistive Technology Through Wikis and Embedded Video. Tech Trends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, p. 78-81. Retrieved from ERIC database August 24, 2010.

20. Katie Paradee:
I have done a bit more research, specifically on how to use Wikis in an Elementary Classroom. I found the website http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=4992 which offers wiki sites, example wiki sites and tips for teachers when using technological tools such as wikis. I also found the site http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites079.shtml which is more of a site to educate teachers on how to use blogs and wikis in the classroom. There are some videos that explain, in basic language, what wikis are.
Kim Williams- I found a great article titled 5 Strategies fo Using Wikis in the Classroom by David R. Wetzel. In the article he states that wikis give students opportunities to colllaborate with other students, share what they have learned, and then become a centralized location of online resources for educators. His five startgeies are as follows:
1. collaborative projects 2. students demonstartion of knowledge, 3. online resource for classroom use, 4. wikis as a classroom webpage, 5. wiki filing cabinet for teachers to store files, images, videos, etc. I think that all of these ideas sound great.